Flaws
by Moni Hasnone
Summary: What if our favorite characters addressed certain plot holes in the story? What if an episode ended somewhat differently? A collection of one-shots and mini-stories. Chapter 7: To Lose Yourself Pt. 1 Summary: What does it take to save your friends? Hypothetical 4x18 Episode
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: To be the Fastest Man Alive**

 _Summary: Cisco, Caitlin and Barry talk about what it means to be the fastest man alive. Post 3x15 episode_

Barry Allen grunted in pain as he settled in front of the main screens in the Cortex. Tapping the mic in front of him (and assured by the static buzz), he leaned forward, ready to get this over with. He had to do this. Every Tuesday, no matter if he were happy, sad, depressed, dying – emotions didn't matter. And he had to say it the same uplifting tone.

Barry took a deep breath in as he started, "My name is Barry Allen," he started just as the music score played in the back, and Cisco and Caitlin walked into the Cortex. He smiled towards them, acknowledging their presence. "And I am the _fastest_ man alive – "

"Woah, wait," Cisco interrupted, a small frown forming on his face just as the music scored fizzled to silence in the background and Caitlin and Barry turned to glare at the young engineer; they would have to record from the beginning again.

"You can't be the fastest man alive, right?" Cisco continued, deciding to settle into his favorite revolving chair. "I mean, I can list of a bunch of new additions to the show who are definitely faster than you."

Caitlin looked up thoughtfully, while Barry responded with a quick and curt response. "Nope, still the fastest." At the dubious glances he received in return, the scarlet speedster challenged them, not wanting to lose his position (and pride) as the fastest. "Fine, try listing them."

"Well, for one, there's Reverse Flash. You know Fake Wells/Eobard Thwane," Caitlin started.

"Doesn't count. He kind of died when Eddie sacrificed himself," Barry pointed out.

"Yeah, until you created Flashpoint." Cisco grumbled.

"I thought we got over that." Barry turned away from the conversation, deleting the current recording before adjusting his mic. "Besides, when he was alive (before Eddie, I mean) he didn't have all his speed. That's why he needed me to be faster. And when he came back last year, well, he's technically not alive. We killed him after that time, so he's kind of like a memory or something."

"And Flashpoint…" Cisco drawled.

"Still not alive. Although Professor Stein told me something about spear of destiny or something," Barry responded. "I think it's supposed to restore Thwane, but you know, I'm not too worried. Legends got this."

"Fine, but there's still Zoom."

"I defeated him. Plus I matched his speed before. And if you're talking about how he still exists in the speed force, he's technically not alive."

"Trajectory? Jesse? Supergirl? Wally? Grodd? Jay Garrick – the real one?"

"Trajectory's dead. And really, Jesse? She's quick but not fast enough," Barry replied, shrugging. "Supergirl's a different universe. And I'm faster." At his teammates dubious glances, "I broke the dimensional barrier. I can literally go fast enough to jump between universes. You don't see Supergirl doing that!"

Cisco coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'Tacheyon Devices' and maybe 'Vibe'. Barry chose to ignore it and continued.

"Wally's fast, probably faster than me, but he's also stuck in the speed force."

"So, what, now we consider anyone in the speed force 'not alive'?" Cisco asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Not exactly alive." Barry responded, before he heard a sob come from the hallway in the Cortex. The speedster turned around just in time to watch Jesse Quick speed out. "Poor choice of words," Barry said sheepishly as he turned back to face his team.

"I'll go after her," Caitlin replied, taking a couple of steps forward before coming back. "Too fast. I'll track her down first."

Barry apologized again, before turning to Cisco. "And what about Grodd?"

"Well, Gideon said Grodd taps into speed force in the future," Cisco said, pointing an accusing figure in the general direction of the time vault.

"Even if he did, he's still not ever going to be the fastest _man_ alive. There's a lot of conditions in that statement," Barry finished almost smugly.

Cisco shrugged, deciding to sip from his cup of coffee in response. "And Jay was never faster than me. I mean, Savitar challenged me, not Jay."

Cisco's eyes widened as he found his trump card in the debate. "Savitar! Savitar's faster than you."

Barry opened his mouth and then closed it, almost like a fish out water. Just before the CSI could formulate an answer, Caitlin interrupted the argument. "Guys, I found something!"

"Jesse?"

"Yeah, and she's battling Savitar." The biochemist quickly began typing, transferring the video from her screen to all the screens in cortex. "Weird, she's holding on pretty well." She glanced at Barry.

"Yeah, well he was in the speed force the first time I battled him!" Barry defended himself.

"Guys, Jesse removed Savitar's mask," Cisco started hesitantly. All three faces whipped towards the screen, just as Savitar raised his clawed hand (the other claw, that wasn't ripped from his body armor).

Four pairs of eyes stared at the identity of Savitar in shock, just as Barry began to smile. "I'll go save Jesse, Cisco. But I think this just proves our debate." With that the scarlet speedster sped out.

"Damn it." Cisco mumbled, saddened that he lost the battle. He watched as their Barry went to stop Savitar-Barry from impaling Jesse. "Guess he is the fastest man alive."

 **A/N: My first try at humor. You know, people who write humor actually have to be smart, and witty (qualities I don't have). A for effort, I guess. Well, it still a good debate to have.**

 **Thank you for reading. I don't think I've hit every fast person on the show … I feel like I'm missing some. Let me know who I missed! Please review and leave comments.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Worst Girlfriends Ever**

 _Summary: Wally, Cisco and Barry discuss how horrible their respective girlfriends are. At least Joe has it better than them, right? Post 3x16 Episode_

Wally stared brokenly into the blank space. He was currently sitting in the Speed lab, and for the most part, looked like a kicked puppy. He sighed, curling into himself, and pulling his knees closer to bury his face into.

Wally heard soft taps of footsteps getting closer, and he picked his head up, hoping – daring to hope – that she came back. Only to be disappointed to see Barry's face return his gaze. Barry, on the other hand, had a coffee mug in his hand and this smug expression on his face that was wiped out completely when he saw Wally's puffy eyes.

"Everything okay, Wally?" Barry asked, as he moved in to sit next to his foster brother.

And normally Wally would reply that he was fine, but at the moment, he was anything _but_ fine. "No," Wally started, and then full out sobbed. "Jesse's gone. Apparently, Earth 3 needs her help because Jay's gone. I mean, what about Earth 2? No speedster there. What about me? I need her!" Wally practically begged.

"I was stuck in a speed force prison for 1 week, living my most painful memory over and over, and she decides 'nah, Wally'll be fine'. I'm not fine. Where's my girlfriend when I need her?"

Barry nodded. "I know that feeling. Iris did the same with me." Wally glanced questioningly.

Barry sighed. "After _you_ ratted me out to the entire team, Iris broke her engagement with me."

"Not as bad as my position," Wally argued.

Barry raised an eyebrow. "She broke the engagement after you were taken into the speed force, I battled Savitar and had a claw stuck in my shoulder. I was emotionally and physically drained, and she added a cherry on top of this mess."

Both speedsters fell silent at that. "Yeah, that sucks," Wally admitted as Barry took a sip from his mug. "Although that doesn't explain your smug expression when you walked into the lab."

Barry smiled at that, almost triumphantly. "I asked for a little space from Iris."

"What?!" Wally exclaimed. "Why would you do that?"

"Yeah, that's what the rest of the team is asking me. I mean, come on, no one questions _her_ when she broke off the engagement, and didn't bother to answer whether we were still together when I was about to walk into the speed force to sacrifice myself for you – "

"You didn't do it. Plus, she didn't know," Wally interrupted in between.

"Doesn't matter. The point is that when I ask for a break, and I have a legit reason, people backlash on me? I mean, it's not my fault she realizes that "I fear for her because I love her" now. This world is unfair." Barry complained. "I liked it better 2 years ago when I was pining after my lost love. It was a shit ton better than all this unnecessary CW romance drama."

Wally just shook his head, turning away from his brother to stare into space again, just as Cisco walked in grumbling.

"Hey Cisco," Barry called out, taking another sip from his mug before waving at his friend. "Want to join us?"

"Nope, not feeling it, man," Cisco said. And at a closer inspection, Cisco did seem a little worn out. Tired even.

"What girlfriend troubles?" Barry asked, expertly.

"How did you – wait, don't answer that," Cisco said as he settled down next to Barry. "I heard what you did with Iris."

"See," Barry pointed his hand towards Cisco, as if showing Wally his point. "Iris is turning out to be a Felicity 2.0."

"What's Felicity 2.0?" Cisco asked, somewhat confused.

"Something I heard from Star City," Barry responded indifferent.

Wally ignored Barry, instead scooting to his side to face Cisco. "What's wrong?"

"A long-distance relationship with Gypsy is not working out," Cisco admitted, after a pause. "And I feel like I'll be friend-zoned again. After Golden Glider and Hawkgirl, I don't think my heart can take anymore." Cisco sighed softly, rubbing his heart tenderly as if it physically pained him.

"It can," Barry confirmed. "I went through Linda, Patty and even a bit of Caitlin in a span of 3 years before I got to Iris."

"Ignore him," Wally said. "You won't be friend-zoned, Cisco."

"I asked her to visit us. She said she might come next week if some criminal escapes from Earth 19 and comes here," Cisco said. "Maybe I can set up a real date this time?"

"Not going to work. Us heroes (and accompanying team) never get the girl easily." Barry stated nonchalantly, turning back to his coffee.

"And the girls we have just don't understand us. They don't bother to think about us," Wally sighed, sadly.

"Well, on the bright side, Julian and Joe seem to be doing great." Cisco said, a little hopefully.

And, as if on cue, Julian and Joe filed in, both mirroring Cisco's face earlier.

Barry burst out laughing, falling onto his back as he laid sprawled on the floor. "We have horrible girlfriends."

 **A/N: Don't know if that was funny, but I thought it was good discussion to have. Man, the girls on this show are turning out to be evil towards their boyfriends, I figured they would like to discuss it amongst themselves.**

 **I wanted to get this out before they resolved these love conflicts in tomorrow's episode. What do you think? Please review/comment!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Flash. I forgot to put this up before :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Put a Little Love in Your Heart

 _Summary: Jay Garrick is not happy with musicals. 3x17 Episode_

Jay was having an absolutely horrible day. He had spent the majority of it being forced to relive his most painful memory over and over, until the visual suddenly broke. And Jay was walking out of the hospital room, away from Barry's prison. Or he thought he was, until he heard someone singing.

Jay's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he walked forward, entering a different room, somewhat reminiscent of the precinct on Earth 3 where Zoom had taken him prisoner. Jay flinched unconsciously, and the very human part of him told him to run. The hero part was more curious.

And sure enough, standing in the middle of the room in a black tuxedo, and neatly combed hair was Barry Allen – the fastest man alive himself. It looked like he was humming as he watched a visual in front of him, nodding to the music – _Put a little love in your heart_.

"Barry?" Jay called out, his voice coming out raspy from lack of usage. The speedster turned around to face the older man.

"Oh, we're not Barry." Jay's eyes widened in comprehension.

"Speed force." Jay stated. Speed-Force-Barry nodded in confirmation.

"Why did you let me out?" Jay asked, walking towards the screen to get a better visual of it. At the moment, the scene was paused, but from what the golden-age flash could see, there seemed to be some sort of a musical going on.

"You volunteered to stay knowing the consequences, thought you could use a break," the Speed Force replied as he turned back to screen, tapping it to continue the song.

"What's happening?" None of this made sense. And why was the speed force watching a musical.

"Barry got whammied and sent to this alternative dream state where he's currently tap dancing and singing," the Speed Force explained concisely. And then with a more annoyed face, "And we like taking a break too."

It took a while for Jay to understand. And when he did, the hero side was happy that Barry was taking it easy and wanted to smile at the bright laughter when Barry tap danced to _Superfriends._

The human side was pissed. And his human side won, as a low guttural noise (he didn't think it was possible for him to make) escaped from his throat. "He's dancing and singing while Savitar is who-knows-where and I'm stuck in Prison? Is he even trying to come back to save me?"

Speed-Force-Barry shrugged back, apologetically. "Would you like to join me?"

Jay shook his head slowly, massaging his head in an effort to alleviate the slowly building pain. "I prefer reliving my painful memory. This is too painful to watch."

/FLASH FOREWORD TO MAY/

"That was incredible!" Cisco shouted out into the cortex. The entire team nodded back, brilliant smiles encompassing their faces. "We defeated the self-proclaimed God of Speed!"

"I was just shocked at who Savitar was, honestly," Caitlin said, as she leaned in closer to Julian.

"Don't think about it," Barry replied. "All that matter is that Iris is alive." He smiled as he leaned in, kissing his girlfriend. Life was good.

Yet, what was this lingering feeling in the back of his head, like he was forgetting something? He watched as HR rolled in a cart with champagne.

And in the heat of the celebration, Barry told himself it must not be that important.

Jay tapped his fingers impatiently, still waiting for Barry to free from the Speed Force. "This is the last time I am sacrificing myself to save your sorry hide, kid." Jay mumbled under his breath.

 **A/N: Just something fun I thought. I feel bad for Jay in the Speed Force, but I also enjoyed the musical a lot! I didn't think Jay would be as appreciative considering he had been in a not-so-good position.**

 **I had a quick question with Cisco's powers. When he takes Martian Manhunter and Kid Flash to another part of town, was that not Vibing? Because at the end, they ask him what vibes mean, so I was confused.**

 **Thank you for reading and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A Change in Costume**

 _Summary: Zoom was quite proud of his plan, really. Kill Henry Allen in front of the Flash, and then Barry Allen would be broken. He would become just like Zoom. What Hunter Zolomon forgot to account for was that Barry loved his Flash suit more than his father. Post 2x23 Episode_

Hunter Zolomon was broken from a young age. Watching your father kill your mother in front of your eyes can leave a lasting impact on a malleable child's mind. So, when he heard of Barry Allen's similar situation, he was happy. A speedster with a tragic background.

Except, Barry didn't have a tragic background (not tragic enough, in Zolomon's head); Zoom thought to correct that wrong. He was quite proud of his plan, really (he even wrote a screenplay and script). Kill Henry Allen in front of the Flash, and then Barry Allen would be broken. He would become just like Zoom.

He pulled his black cowl over his head, disguising his human face. Sometimes he wondered if Jay was disguising Zoom – but that wasn't the question now. He raced into the West's house, crashing into the victory party like an uninvited guest. Well, he was an uninvited guest.

 _Should have saved celebration for after_ actually _defeating me,_ Zoom thought as he grabbed Henry around the neck. "My story continues Flash," he growled out, as he gazed at 'Team Flash'. They were all well dressed, and he had to admit, Barry looked good in a suit. He smiled under his mask, before zipping out, leaving blue lightning as the only evidence that he was there.

And he expected Barry to follow, as he rushed into the living room of Allen's previous house. _It's poetic returning to your childhood home,_ Zoom recited in his head. He had written all his lines the prior night, and was incredibly excited to try them out. He turned around, facing the living room entrance.

Something was wrong. Why did it take Barry so long to catch up to Zoom? He was faster now, if anything he should be here before him.

Zolomon pulled down his cowl, taking a step forward while dragging Henry with him, an attempt to look out the nearest window. After what seemed like speedster eternity, the Flash zipped into the house, holding his hands out.

"Zoom, don't," Barry begged, spurring Zoom into his lines. Barry advanced slowly as if he were approaching a dangerous animal.

"Quite poetic," Zoom started, smirking. "Returning to your childhood – " And Zoom would have said more, if he wasn't being observant. Barry was wearing his flash outfit. "Okay, you better have a good explanation to why your wearing your Flash suit."

Barry stopped his slow advances, a curious look on his face, as he straigtened. "Because I'm the Flash?"

"No, I mean, when did you have time to run back to STAR labs and change, before coming to catch up with me?" Zoom growled out.

"Actually, I had this emergency bag with me –" Barry started, almost like a five-year old providing his dad an excuse for a misdemeanor.

"You still changed your outfit before rescuing your dad!" Zoom finally yelled.

"Important to fight you as the flash." Barry shrugged in response. He gazed between his father and Zoom, just as he saw Zoom loosen his grip. His father, on the other hand, looked a little angry as well.

"More than your father's life?" Zoom asked, genuinely upset. "I thought you loved him! What if I killed him before you could make it?"

"Yes, Barry, what if?" Henry mustered out.

"He wouldn't," Barry dismissed, talking more to his dad then to Zoom. "He wants me to see you die. If I didn't show up at all, he wouldn't even kill you."

Zoom let Henry go, and pushed him towards his son. "I give up. Flash doesn't actually care for you if he thinks changing his _costume_ is more important than your life. Hell, I should have targeted that shitty red outfit in STAR labs instead." Zoom stomped out of the house, mimicking a child on tantrum.

"I think Cisco would be more upset if you do that," Barry called after him, before turning to face his father.

And he was met with a sight that made him wish to fight Zoom instead. "You know I love you, right?" Barry asked hesitantly. "Besides, I saved your life, albeit indirectly." At the incredulous look he received, he decided to run out instead.

 _Might as well save that spare suit in STAR labs_ , Barry thought. After all, he didn't want angry Cisco on his tail as well.

 **A/N: Just a fun chapter that I thought about when I first watched the episode. Actually, second watch. The first watch, I was too disturbed by Henry getting killed. The second time I noticed that Barry had his suit on (he really does!) when he didn't initially; hence the birth of this fic!**

 **Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Reviews will be very much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: "Do the Reverse Flash, Barry"

 _Summary: Barry may have misunderstood what Cisco meant during the battle against Solovar. Post 3x13 Episode._

"How about a lightning throw," Caitlin suggested. Cisco nodded, as he watched Barry run, flashing around the arena walls in a vain attempt to escape Solovar's punch. Team Flash (currently consisting of Cisco, Caitlin, Julian and the recently awakened and still dazed Harry) watched through their barred vision, but it wasn't hard to tell that they currently were on the losing team.

"Worth a shot," the Flash breathed out, and he sped up, the yellow lightning flooding the arena walls. Barry focused on the speed, picking up the electricity around him so that he charged enough to completely knock out the Gorilla standing in front of him. Unfortunately, that was taking too long.

Solovar had different plans. Trying to pinpoint Barry was obviously a bad strategy, so the King of the Gorillas decided to use his ace card. Picking up his stride, he jumped into the air, letting his shield free fall from that height, as the goliath himself came crashing down onto the earth.

And he smashed his spear at the center, sending a tremor across the arena, almost like a ripple across water. Barry stood no chance as he stumbled, yelling as he toppled from his vertical stride and was tossed, once more, like a ragdoll.

"Come on, Barry, get up," Caitlin whispered, just as Julian murmured the current score. Caitlin looked away, almost despondently.

"That was a horrible idea, Ramone," Harry berated, as he watched Barry crumble to the ground. "Solovar won't give him enough time to charge," Harry explained. Cisco glared back, before turning his attention back to the downed hero.

Barry rolled to a stop at the other side of the stadium, coughing pathetically as he tried to push himself up from the ground. He was outmatched against the strength of the white Gorilla. And the entire team seemed to be outmatched against his wisdom as well.

 _Maybe the sonic punch?_ Barry mused through his pain, as he clutched his mid-section and tried to get back to his feet. _5.3 miles…_

Julian shook his head, sadly. "This quite the reversal of our fortune," the meta-human specialist said, as he clutched the cell bars, pushing himself closer to the fight.

"Thank you, Indiana Jones, for summarizing that," Harry replied haughtily, abandoning his spot near the opening to pace the cell.

"Reversal," Cisco whispered, an idea striking him and he glanced at Julian. Why hadn't they taught of this before! "Barry," he called into his phone. "It's time to pull a Reverse Flash."

Barry finally got to his knees, confusion and hesitance clearly showcased on his face. He heard a growl from behind him, and through the dust, saw Solovar leap, his spear aimed at the Scarlet Speedster's chest.

"Do it!" Cisco urged, forcing the words out with as much conviction as he could. Of course, none of them wanted Barry to use any method taught by the Evil Dr. Wells, but in this case, at this moment of life and death, they had no choice.

And then Barry ran away.

Cisco frowned as he watched Barry disappear from the arena. Solovar crashed into the earth once more, this time breaking the closest arena wall, and sending another tremor across the stadium.

This wasn't what Cisco had in mind…

"Where did he go?" Caitlin asked, just as Julian shrugged. Even Harry returned to the opening in a vain attempt to locate the speedster.

Solovar looked around, prying his spear lose from the dirt, and waited for any flash of lightning. His eyes furrowed into thin slits, impatiently scanning the area, and he twirled to face the rest of the stadium.

Suddenly, Solovar's eyes widened, and he dropped his spear. He gave one look around the stadium, before decidedly running to the nearest corner, and curled onto himself, rocking back and forth in a gesture to calm himself.

And the entire stadium fell silent.

The team looked, shocked. What did Barry do?

And speak of the devil, as he zoomed into the stadium, past the stadium, and into their cells. Barry pulled down his cowl, breathing hard as he walked up to the lever, and grunted in an effort to open the cell doors.

"What did you do?" Cisco asked, confused with their current reaction and situation.

"I did what you told me to," Barry responded. With the confused looks he got back, he elaborated, "I did a 'Reverse Flash'." Even Harry looked at him skeptically.

Julian laughed in happiness. "I don't care what you did, mate," He said lightly. "I'm just glad we're out." He grasped the hero's shoulder just as everyone else held onto him as well.

And Barry zoomed them all out of the city, and into the jungle.

"No, this conversation doesn't end." Cisco glared at Barry as soon as the speedster stopped.

"Does it have to be now, Ramone?" Harry grunted as he glanced in the general direction he knew certain gorillas would be running from.

"Yes," Cisco replied curtly before turning back to his friend. "When I said 'Reverse Flash', I meant the vibrating hand through the chest. Like how he first killed me."

Barry eyes widened in understanding, his mouth forming into a small 'oh'. "I thought you meant 'go back in time and kill his mother when he's young child so that he would be traumatized and can never become king'?" The ending came out more feeble than Barry intended.

Caitlin gasped. "You killed his mother?"

Barry held up his hands, "In my defense, I was hesitating. Cisco told me to do it."

"I told you to shove a hand into his chest. Not traumatize baby Solovar!" Cisco exclaimed.

"Can we have this conversation in STARLabs?" Julian asked nervously as he heard the growls of the sapiens approaching them.

"Yes, remember Grodd is probably in charge right now. And we don't really have a stellar performance record with him," Harry added in, prompting the young engineer to open a breach back to Earth 1.

Caitlin and Julian jumped in, followed by Harry. Barry glared at Cisco, "It's not my fault you suck at giving instructions." He jumped in as well.

Cisco shook his head. "It's not my fault you misunderstood what I meant…" and followed his friends, just as the breach closed on Earth 2.

 **A/N: This idea wasn't really mine. I read a comment on YouTube somewhere and I thought it would be funny to make it into a story. Obviously didn't do a great job with the ending punchlines, and the beginning wasn't really funny, but this whole fight was a lot of fun to write.**

 **In my version, I woke Harry up (just because). And I also know time doesn't really work this way. Plot holes within plot holes :D**

 **Please review and leave back any comments! If you have story ideas you want me to write about, I can do that as well.**

 **Preview Chapter 6: The Great Mathematicians at STARLabs.**

 _Barry is less than amused at the horrible math skills of the so-called geniuses at STARLabs. Post 3x14 episode._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: He's in a Wheel Chair!

 _Summary: How evil can a man in a wheel chair be? Ending of 4x06: When Harry Met Harry…_

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Clifford Devoe greeted, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he eyed the men standing before him. The genius had already calculated his sort-of unexpected guests, so nothing new here. "I'm Clifford Devoe. How may I be of help?" It was almost pathetic, how easily they fell into his formulas.

And at the same time, it was fascinating. After all, nothing was random in the universe. Both CSI and officer gaped at the man sitting in the wheel chair, the bottoms of their jaws cartoonish-ly hanging.

And suddenly, a portal opened behind Barry and Joe. Out of the shimmery blue film, Vibe stepped out, his hands held out ready to shoot the disabled man behind the doorway.

"This wasn't a part of my calculations…" Devoe mumbled, even as he rose his eyebrows. Devoe's self-proclaimed wife stood defensively in front of her proxy husband. For what it's worth, perhaps her glares were well deserved, Devoe mused.

"Whoa," Joe said, as he held his hands. "Cisco, he's disabled!"

"Yes," Cisco growled menacingly. "And that's Harrison Well's wheel chair."

Barry and Joe both turned around, viewing the innocent contraption. Even the Mechanic and the Thinker found themselves gazing at the simple wheelchair they had bought cheaply off EBay. The Mechanic had justified her buy with the simple fact that they needed to save every penny for their elaborate thinking lab, but perhaps her small decision might have caused an unknown variable in their equations.

"Oh," Barry said, as if Cisco's simple statement was all the proof he needed. "He's evil."

And Vibe didn't lose a single moment of time, blasting the fake-wife and the poor man off his chair, destroying all three evils in one go.

There was a satic buzz, as Barry heard someone talk over the blue tooth.

"Uh guys," Harrison Wells started. "I don't have a wheel chair."

 **A/N: And that's how Eobard Thawne Wells gets tied into this episode!**

 **This was a fun episode, and I really have to appreciate the numerous characters Harry can play. They honestly should have kept Wizard Harry. What did you think about the episode?**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: To Lose Yourself Pt. 1

 _Summary: DeVoe overturned the tables as the defeated Team Flash lays helpless on the floor. Ralph isn't willing to give up his new family. What does it take to save your friends? What-if multi-chapter fic. Drama_

 **Flash-back: Hours before**

" _This team is the only family that I have ever had," Ralph said, his voice shaking in fear and anticipation. A part of his mind was screaming at him, just as Iris tried to talk him out._

" _Ralph, no one has to die," she insisted. Ralph took in a shaky breath before he looked away._

" _Iris, DeVoe only wants me." He closed his eye resignedly. "You, Joe, Harry, Caitlin, Cisco – DeVoe cannot have them." His voice was determined, and he found himself believing his words._

 **Flash-forward: Now**

Barry ran forward, speeding towards the floating chair. And suddenly he was blasted back, Izzy-DeVoe smiling down at him as the chair hovered to his location. "Give up, Flash," she smiled sweetly. "You know what I want."

Barry panted as he rolled around. "And what makes you think I'll let you have it?" One of Devoe's metallic arms suddenly slammed into his chest, pinning him to the floor. "Ralph is my friend," he grunted out. Izzy rose her eyebrows in mock amusement.

"Your friendship is admirable," she complimented as her chair turned away to gaze at the limp forms of Caitlin, Cisco and Iris. "But I wonder how many friends you are willing to sacrifice for one?" Izzy's smile grew as the metallic arms stretched towards Cisco and Caitlin. Barry's eyes widened as he realized the implications. "Vibe and Frost are not a part of my plans." Izzy turned slightly to watch the Flash struggle in vain against the metal. "But I can make amends."

An arm latched onto Cisco's head, lifting him off the floor and holding him midair.

"No!" Barry screamed, stretching his arm out in vain.

"The location, Flash," DeVoe bargained. "Where is Ralph?"

Barry looked at the Thinker, his face falling as he realized his choices were dwindling. Who would he condemn?

"I'm here!" A voice announced, and Ralph walked into the Cortex. "You want me?" He asked the woman, his voice wavering only once at the sight of the woman he once loved. "You can take me." The chair hovered near him, just as the arm released Cisco, letting him drop to the floor. "Leave my friends alone."

"Ralph!" Barry cried out, as he tugged against the metal. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Being a hero, Allen," Ralph responded, smiling as he attempted to reassure the downed hero. "Thought you would be proud." Izzy's grin widened as the metal arm hovered towards the Elongated man, resting almost gently on his head, as if he were precious. It made Ralph feel more than queasy.

Barry looked at the scene in front of him, shocked as he stared at the man he had learned to care for as a friend. True, he had not always seen eye to eye with the dirty detective, nor had he ever approved of his underhand methods, but he would be damned if he watched Ralph sacrifice himself and he didn't do anything about it.

Izzy looked ready to transfer DeVoe's mind into a new host. Ralph closed his eyes, waiting for the darkness to engulf him.

"Wait!"

DeVoe turned around, gazing at the speedster on the ground. Ralph's eyes fluttered open, as he stared at his friend.

Barry took a deep breath. "Take me instead."

"What?" Ralph exclaimed, both shocked and scared. Barry ignored him

"I can regenerate faster, my body can handle your mind," Barry bargained, his heart thumping against his chest loudly. _What the hell was he doing?_ Apparently Ralph agreed, and the elastic human protested loudly. Barry ignored him. "It must be tiring to change so many bodies. Take me and you won't have to sit in that chair." DeVoe stilled, observing the speedster on the ground. "Just please, leave my friends alone."

The professor didn't say anything, and the Cortex fell into an uncomfortable silence, only the heavy breathing of the meta-humans filling the void. "There are 239 possible combinations of scenarios that you could have chosen, Barry Allen." DeVoe finally responded. "Only three are correct." The chair moved away from Ralph, inching towards the speedster, but the metal arm did not release either man. Barry looked away, turning to face the ceiling instead. "You gave me two choices. To kill you –" Barry's heart skipped a beat. "or to kill him." Izzy pointed towards the other man. The chair turned away, opting to face an empty wall instead of either of the men.

An eternity seemed to pass, before DeVoe turned towards the speedster hovering practically over him. "Unfortunate for you, you chose correctly." Izzy smiled widely. "Humanity will respect your sacrifice."

And another metal arm latched itself onto Barry's head just as DeVoe released Ralph and formed an energy field around himself and his newly chosen host. Ralph ran forward, banging his hands against the invisible wall. "No, Barry!" The speedster was lifted off the ground, as if he were some toy, just as the metal arm lighted up: the mad genius was transferring his consciousness to another host. And Barry didn't fight it, allowing himself to hang off DeVoe's contraption.

The man gazed sadly at Ralph. "Keep Iris safe." And his eyes closed slowly, just as Izzy slumped in the chair.

Ralph watched horrified as the metal arm released Barry, and the speedster straightened up, opening his eyes as he breathed in deeply. The elongated knight fell to his knees.

Clifford Devo smiled as he lifted his vibrating hand. "This will work beautifully."

The Thinker sped out of Cortex, leaving one man broken, with the dead body of Izzy and without an explanation to the remaining members of Team Flash.

 **A/N: I don't really know where I'm going with this story, but I think it would be so cool to have the Thinker take over Barry Allen. Plus, I really don't want Ralph Dibney to die because, despite his cheesiness, he's a really sweet character. And too many people are dying and leaving the Arrow-verse. But the way they are dramatizing the character does make it seem like he is going to die. And that just sucks.**

 **I mean, Rip Hunter died in LoT (spoiler alert!), and I was crying because no one on the Legends actually cared. They stayed silent for like all of 5 minutes. I hated HR's death. And don't get me started about Martin Stein.**

 **What about you guys? Whose death upset you the most?**


End file.
